Hobbyhorse



June 17, 1947.

A. J. FLEURY HOBBYHORSE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 8, 1946 anon/wimp I; Alldl'a'WeIl'lJldfY June 17, 1947. I A, ,'F. E Y 2,422,347

HOBBYHORSE Filed July 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 17, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOBBYHORSE Andrew J. Fleur'y, High River, Alberta, Canada Application July s, 1946, Serial No. 682,067

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a hobby horse of that type in which the seat is mounted upon a cantilever leaf spring, the lower end of which spring is anchored to a support.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a hobby horse adapted to be used either in fixed position or as a sled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hobby horse of the class described, in which the width of the base of support may be varied and the height of the seat from the ground plane be simultaneously adjusted, as a function of the width adjustment of the base.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hobby horse in which the support consists of a pair of independently adjustable members with ground engaging portions that can be adjustably spaced to vary the width of the base of support, including an optimum sled forming adjustment in which the ground engaging portions are longitudinally parallel, serving as runners.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hobby horse embodying the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is a view in plan of the forward portion of the hobby horse;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the forward portion;

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the same hobby horse as shown in Figure I, adjusted to a higher seat position and narrower base of support;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the forward portion of the hobby horse as shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a view in end elevation of the forward portion;

Figure 7 is a cross-section taken along the line 'l--'i of Figure '2;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the hobby horse with the supporting members reversed with respect to their side to side position;

Figure 9 is a front end elevation of the forward tive side by side positions of the supporting members.

Referring now in detail to the several figures and first adverting to the Figures 1 to '7, inclusive, the numeral I applies to the hobby horse as a whole, which comprises a leaf spring 2, having a seat 3 secured thereto at its upper end, and being clamped at its lower end to a support generally designated by the numeral 4. A foot rest 5 is adjustably clamped to an intermediate part of the spring 2, and there is a handle-bar 6 extending through the head of the horse.

The support 4 consists of a pair of complementary tubular supporting members i and 8, each bent to form a forwardly directed bight 9 with a long straight ground engaging limb [6, extending rearwardly from the lower side of said bight and a short straight anchor limb ll extending rearwardly from the upper side of said bight and upwardly divergent with respect to said lower limb.

Each member may be said to have a fish hook bend, in that the bight portion has an axial twist so that the short limb is laterally divergent with respect to the long limb. The bights of the respective members of the pair are oppositely twisted so that the short limbs diverge in opposite direction with respect to the long limbs.

Reference will now be had to Figure 14, which illustrates diagrammatically in plan, two alternative side by side positions of the members i and 8, said members being arranged with their long limbs parallel and the bights more or less upright. In the relative positions shown at a, in which member 7 is to the left of member 8, the short limbs ll mutually converge toward their free ends. In position b, in which member 8 is to the left of member 7, the short limbs mutually diverge.

In the group of Figures 1 to 7, the member I is to the left of member 8. The short limbs l l are brought into close adjacency with their axes parallel. This has thrown the long limbs [6 into a position of mutual divergence, as shown, defining a substantially triangular baseof support, Widest adjacent the seat, which is proper from the standpoint of stability.

The parallel short limbs H are clamped to the spring 2 by bolts 12, which pass through the spring and through underlying saddle clips [3, having curved ends which retain the anchor limbs ll. When the bolts are slightly loosened the limbs II are axially rotatable within the saddle clips, by means of which rotation the width adjustment of the base and the simultaneous height adjustment of the seat are effected.

In Figure 1, the short limbs have been equally rotated, that of member 1 clockwise, and that of member 8 counterclockwise so as to widen the angle between the respective bights and to increase the divergence of the limbs i0. Since the angle which the short limbs make with the ground plane decreases, the flatter the members 1 and 8 are turned, it follows that the seat will be lowered proportionately as the base of support is spread. A wide base of support and low seat adjustment is optimum for a small rider.

The concave sides of the bights 9 are each provided with a series of holes 14, the holes being correspondingly positioned for .each bight. tie bar l5, having hook ends which are se- 'the lower side of said bight and a short anchor lectively interfittable in corresponding holes of each series, locks the supporting members 1 and 8 in several position of adjustment, supplementing the clamping grip of the connection between said members and the spring. 7 1

Figure 4 shows the same hobby horse as Figure 1, adjusted for maximum height of seat and minimum width of supporting base. Here the short limbs II have been rotated in such direction as to bring the bights 8 into contact, preventing further adjustment in this direction.

Since Figures 1 and 4 suggest a stationary use of the apparatus, the ground engaging limbs It may be provided with yielding collars I? of rubber or like material, which frictionally embrace them at four spaced points, two adjacent the seat and two forwardly. These protect the floor, and in the ordinary use of the hobby horse, keep it from creeping. However, a clever youngster can get an added movement out of the device by swaying forward and jerking back, which causes the hobby horse to advance across the floor in a series of steps. When this mode of locomotion is practiced, the protective function of the collars is all the more desirable. The collars may be shifted longitudinally of the limbs it, to modify the amplitude of this stepping movement.

' The group of Figures 8 to 13 illustrate the hobby horse with the side by side position of the members l and 8 reversed, that is, in the relative positions shown at b inFigure 14, but with the members rotated to bring the short limbs H into axial parallelism. In this arrangement of the members l and 8, for any given angle of divergence of the long limbs iii, the angle between the bights will be wider than in the arrangement a, exemplified in Figures 1 and 4. Therefore, referring to Figure 8 in which the divergence of the long limbs H3 is the same as in Figure 1, since the bights a seat on said leaf spring.

While I have in the above description disclosed what'I believe to be a preferred and prac- V tical embodiment of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific details of construction and arrangement of parts are by way of example and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. Hobby horse comprising a pair of complementary rod-like supporting members, each bent to form a forwardly directed bight with a long ground engaging limb extending rearwardly from limb extending rearwardly from the upper side of said bight, upwardly and laterally divergent with respect to said lower limb, the shortlimbs of both supporting members being oppositely laterally diverted with reference to their long'limbs, said supporting members being arranged side by side with their short limbs axially parallel and symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane par-. allel to the axes of the short limbs, a leaf spring, means for securing said short limbs to the lower end of said leaf spring, and a seat on said leaf spring. 1

2. Hobby horse as claimed in claim 1, said securing means being a clamping means permitries of correspondingly positioned holes, and a tie bar having hook ends selectively engageable in corresponding holes in said series.

6. Hobby horse comprising a pair of complee mentary rod-like supporting members each bent to form a forwardly directed bight with along ground engaging limb extending rearwardly from the lower side of said bight and a short anchor limb extending rearwardly from the upper side of said bight, upwardly and laterally divergent with respect to said lower limb, theishort limbs of both supporting members being oppositely lat erally diverted with respect to their long limbs,-

said supporting members being arranged side by side with their short limbs axially parallel'and symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane parallel to the axes of said short limbs, a leaf spring, clamp means securing said short limbs to the lower end of said leaf spring, when loosened, permitting rotation of said supporting members about the axes of said short limbs, providing a range of adjustment'of said long limbs from positions of relative divergence to one of parallelism;- and when tightened, fixing the adjustment, and

ANDREW J. FLEURY. 

